The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 captures images with excellent quality, but it's not a good option for burst shooting.

By Jim FisherPerformance and Conclusions The GF6 is quick to start and capture a photo, requiring just 0.8-second to do so. Its focus is very quick (0.1-second) in ample light, and impressive (0.6-second) in very dim light. The burst shooting mode is disappointing; it only manages to fire shots at 3.5 frames per second; if you work in JPG mode it can keep that pace for 49 shots, but it's limited to 10 Raw or 8 Raw+JPG captures before slowing down. If you don't need full-resolution shots, there is a 3.8-megapixel JPG mode that captures 39 images at 20fps. The Olympus OM-D E-M10 is a better option for action shooters—it fires off photos at 7.9fps (15 Raw+JPG, 18 Raw, or 33 JPG), focuses in 0.05-second, and starts and shoots in about 0.9-second; it's a beat slower in dim light, requiring about 0.8-second to focus there.

I used Imatest to check the sharpness of the included Lumix G Vario 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH. II lens. It's a smaller version of the older G Vario 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH., and at this time only available along with the purchase of a new camera in the US. At 14mm f/3.5 the lens records 2,266 lines per picture height on our center-weighted sharpness test. That's better than the 1,800 lines we require to call an image sharp, and even the outer edges of the frames manage a respectable 1,650 lines. Stopping the lens down does little to improve sharpness, so you are simply left to adjust aperture to suit the depth of field that you're after for a specific shot. Barrel distortion is a modest 0.8 percent at 14mm, which is just barely noticeable in field conditions.

Zooming to 25mm narrows the maximum aperture to f/5.3, which is a bit narrower than f/4.5 that the similar Olympus M.Zuiko 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 II R that is included with the Olympus PEN Lite E-PL5 manages at 25mm. The Panasonic is not wanting for sharpness, however; it records 2,357 lines using the center-weighted scoring methodology, with edges that hit 1,867 lines. Barrel distortion is a bit more noticeable at 25mm (1.4 percent), but that's easily corrected using a software application with distortion control like Lightroom.

At 42mm the maximum aperture is f/5.6, and sharpness holds up. The lens manages 2,001 lines, though edges soften a bit to a respectable 1,688 lines. Stopping down to f/8 does improve the score here—it delivers a center-weighted resolution of 2,212 lines, with edges that exceed 1,900 lines. Pincushion distortion, which makes straight lines curve in rather than out, appears here, but it's only 0.9 percent—so you'll need a keen eye to identify it in real-world conditions.

Imatest also checks images for noise. Increasing the sensitivity to light (ISO) also increases image noise, which manifests as detail-reducing graininess. The GF6 keeps noise under control through ISO 3200 when shooting JPGs. I took a close look at photos from our ISO test scene on a calibrated NEC MultiSync PA271W display. Image detail holds up through ISO 3200, but details do start to smudge at ISO 6400, and at ISO 12800 and 25600 images are messy. If you don't mind some grain, you can get eke more detail out of shots by shooting in Raw; images are very good at ISO 6400, and quite useable at ISO 12800. But at the top ISO 25600 the fine lines in the Raw images give way to large chunks of noise and grain. Overall, the performance is in line with some of the better mirrorless cameras that we've tested in this regard, including the Fujifilm X-A1, which does just a little bit better and keeps noise under control through ISO 6400.

Video is recorded at up to 1080i60 or 720p60 quality in the AVCHD format. Footage is crisp and sharp, with accurate colors, and the GF6 smoothly changes its focus as the scene changes. The internal mic picks up some unwanted audio, notably the sound of the lens zooming in and out, but a careful touch or an upgrade to a power zoom lens can cut down on that unwanted sound. There's no support for an external mic, but the camera did pick up my voice loud and clear. There's a mini HDMI port, so you can connect directly to an HDTV, as well as a proprietary USB connector. An external battery charger is included, and standard SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards are supported.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF6 is a solid entry-level Micro Four Thirds camera. It focuses quickly, includes a very good starter lens, and its touch-screen display is hinged so you can frame images from various angles—it even faces all the way forward for selfie fans. Integrated Wi-Fi makes it possible to transfer images to your phone for easy online sharing, and the GF6 does quite well in low-light situations. Where it falls a bit short is in expandability—there's no way to add an external flash, microphone, or electronic viewfinder, as you can with the similar Olympus PEN E-PL5. And the GF6 doesn't omit these capabilities in order to achieve an insanely small size, like Panasonic's own GM1. If you don't mind spending a bit of extra money, we give preference to the Olympus OM-D E-M10 as our Editors' Choice for entry-level mirrorless cameras; it adds a built-in EVF and hot shoe, and can fire off shots at faster rate, but its $700 price tag doesn't include the cost of a lens (you can get it bundled with a 14-42mm for $100 more). If adding accessories isn't a concern, and you can live with the 3.5fps burst rate, the GF6 is a good entry point into the Micro Four Thirds mirrorless system.

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